Yesterday, I noticed these Christmas colors at the hospital where I do group and individual therapy.
That inspired me to notice more Christmas colors throughout the day.
Sometimes I get distracted by colors. For example, yesterday I picked up the wrong Christmas-colored cup at Starbucks when I thought I heard a barista call my name.
In green-and-red Boston, “Ian” sounds a lot like “Ann.” I returned that purloined Pumpkin Spiced Latte, and here’s my correctly colored cup of Chai Tea:
Does anybody — in Boston or elsewhere — know the history of Christmas colors being green and red?
I suppose I could use Christmas-colored Google to find out, but I’d rather show you some other colors I saw yesterday:
Which colors seem the most like Christmas, to you? Right now, I’d choose those black-and-white hand-written thoughts, from my long-time friend Jerry.
Finally, here’s gratitude and a Christmas song with colors for Jerry, for you, and for all my other readers.
ahh Lovely Christmas colours Ian, I mean Ann! 😉
Diana xo
This made Ann laugh before Christmas, Diana. Thanks! xxoo
I’m going to Philly soon!
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn9/marisafpr/400px%202%20Grumpy%20Whitehouse%20McCTpH_E.jpg
Oh Grumpy! Blue is not a X-mas color! Just look at Harley! He’s the best behaved cat I’ve known. Now he’s going to audition for the African Kitty Queen this year!
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn9/marisafpr/130px%205%20animals_widewallpaper_cat_74664.jpg
Grumpy looks great in blue.
I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that red and green are traditional Christmas colors because of holly which has symbolized continuing life in the midst of the cold dark winter since pagan times. That may be why in traditional color symbolism both colors represent life, but at different stages. Red is the quickening of life while green is used for more moderate growth.
A color I also always associate with Christmas is blue because my mother used to bake Christmas cookies: red bells, green wreaths, and blue stars with a silver ball in the center. Blue is the color of birth and morning in traditional color symbolism, so it may represent the nativity (Mary is often pictured wearing blue and white–white of course representing purity and blue can also mean religious devotion in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions) or it can represent the birth of the new year. We’ve just passed the solstice, the beginning of the end of winter, and will soon be celebrating the beginning of a calendar year.
Thanks for bringing all these wonderful colors here, Chris.
Wonderful pictures! 🙂
Wonderful of you to say so!
I’m going disco Jingle Dancing on that house with outdoor Christmas Laser Lights! So much fun!
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn9/marisafpr/130px%2021665f4c4cf8c89_zpscpqahl6f.jpg
https://45.media.tumblr.com/c5a34b9143f130b736c032040a1d908c/tumblr_mkqqlwM2eo1s8dwazo1_500.gif
Thanks for bringing all this fun, Maria!
This is one of my favourite posts of yours. I smiled throughout.
I am smiling throughout now too, Alex. 🙂
Bing Crosby’s Silver Bells brought back memories. My father had one of Bing’s records and used to play that song. Often, he would sing along. I’d forgotten that, because he wasn’t able to sing the past few years before he died due to COPD. Thank you for the memory.
I don’t know why red and green are Christmas colours, but when it snows, evergreens and red berries are often the only colour around in nature. It seems that most hot pinks and lavenders and yellows don’t overwinter well, but must be renewed each spring and summer.
Thank you, Maureen, for all the colours in your memories.
Great shots…. If you would like an answer to your query re: colors, ask this lady… She’s a Google wizard….
https://juststuffifoundontheinternet.wordpress.com/
Also, where did Maria F, get that hilarious .gif of my cat? She looks like that half the day….
😆
gigoid
Thanks for the answers and the questions you bring, gigoid.
I am particulary fond of pink Christmas decorations. 😀 I love all your colorful pictures.
I love your colorful thoughts.
Lovely photos of colours and lights. I always thought the red and green came from holly and the berries, but who knows. I can believe another year has passed and you have done so much in your year, both for other people and keeping your own show on the road. Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas, Hilary, and thanks for all that you’ve done for other people, including me!
These are some lovely Christmas colors!!
That’s a lovely smile and comment!
Colorful and blissful christmas!!!
Colorful and blissful thanks!!
Thank you too👍🏿
Now this is a colorful post! Love the light shows … Always brings a smile 😀✨🌟😀
You always bring a smile, lovely Val.
Some lovely shots of the lights outside. I once found an unexpected Christmas colour on a Starbucks cup: http://derrickjknight.com/2013/07/30/an-interesting-manoeuvre/
Should we always expect the unexpected, Derrick? As expected, I enjoyed your colorful post.
Hi Ann, I hope you had a lovely Christmas. Here is my question to you for the day. Why do people feel the need to fling the tomatoes into the spinach and the cucumber into the tomatoes? I always wonder about that. I sang Silver Bells at a talent contest on a ship when we were travelling from England to Australia. Must have been about 7. I think I won a prize. One of my favorite Christmas songs.
I think blue, gold and white should be Christmas colors. I love that color combination.
I did have a lovely Christmas, SD, and I hope you did, too. Here is my answer to your question: I don’t know why people feel the need to mix colors the way they do. I’m just glad that makes such interesting photos. I love all the colors you mixed into this comment. <3
Thanks Ann. I think the errant vegetables arrive where they do because people have little spasms and the vegetable just jump into a container they are not supposed to be in. It does make for interesting photos – that is true!!!